Ohio

More Americans need a 6-figure income to afford a house, study finds. But not in Ohio

Published

2 years ago

April 12, 2024

More Americans need a 6-figure income to afford a house, study finds. But not in Ohio

Americans in about half the states in the U.S. need a six-figure income to afford a typical home, according to a recent study. But that’s not true in Ohio.

A combination of high mortgage rates, rising home prices and low housing inventory over the past two years is pushing the dream of owning a home further out of reach for many, especially first-time buyers, according to a new analysis from Bankrate. Nationwide, the median price of a home is $402,343. To afford that, Americans need an annual income of $110,871, the study says, a nearly 50% increase in the past four years.

At the state level, the site’s analysis found Americans need to earn six figures to afford a median-priced home in 22 states and the District of Columbia. Four years ago, only six states and the District of Columbia required a salary that high.

Where does Ohio rank for home affordability?

Ohio is one of the most affordable places in the country to own a home, coming in at No. 2 on Bankrate’s analysis. On average, Ohioans need to earn $64,071 per year to afford a median-priced home of $215,300. That income is up 41.1% from $45,397 in January 2020, but the median price for a home in Ohio is the lowest in the nation, according to Bankrate. Iowa ($223,500) ranks second for median home price.

Only Mississippi needs less income for homeownership, at $63,043. The Buckeye State is followed by Arkansas at $64,714, Indiana at $65,143 and Kentucky at $65,186. In general, aspiring homeowners in the South and Midwest need the least income to afford a typical home, the study says.

Which states require the most income to own a home?

Aspiring homeowners in the West and Northeast need the most income to afford a typical home, according to the study. The places that need the highest annual salary to afford a typical home include:

California, $197,057
Hawaii: $185,829
District of Columbia: $167,871
Massachusetts: $162,471
Washington: $156,814

Renting is tough, too: Akron and Cleveland among the worst places to rent in the US, according to recent study

Rising house prices mean more income needed to afford a home, but wages aren’t keeping pace

Would-be homeowners need to make $110,871 annually to afford a median-priced home ($402,343 per Redfin) in the U.S., according to Bankrate’s calculations.

That’s almost a 50% increase since January 2020, when potential homebuyers only required an annual income of $76,191 to afford a typical home. However, wages only grew 23% between the fourth quarter of 2019 and November 2023, according to a Center for American Progress analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Also, a surge in mortgage rates has caused the income needed to afford a home to increase nationwide. Mortgage rates jumped more than three full percentage points in the last few years. In January 2020, the average 30-year fixed rate was 3.68%, compared to 7.07% as of March 20, according to Bankrate’s survey of large lenders.

American families have to contend not only with elevated home prices and high mortgage rates but also with a shortage of houses. Many homeowners who locked in ultra-low low mortgage rates during the pandemic are staying put to avoid today’s soaring mortgage rates, thereby shrinking the pool of available homes for sale.

States where income required to afford a home grew the most

People looking to buy in Montana have to earn 77.7% more than four years ago to afford a median-priced home there — the biggest percent increase across all states. Homebuyers in Montana must earn $131,357 annually to afford the state’s typical monthly mortgage payment of $3,065. The median home price in Montana was $507,100 as of January 2024, compared to $299,300 in January 2020.

Ohio’s 41.1% increase in the income needed to buy a home beats the national average of 45.5%.

Utah has experienced the second-biggest increase since January 2020 in income required to purchase a median-priced home, at 70.3%. People looking to buy in Utah must earn $133,886 annually to afford the state’s typical monthly mortgage payment of $3,124. The median home price in Utah was $525,500 as of January 2024, compared to $345,200 in January 2020.

The income required to purchase a typical home has increased by over 65% in three other states since the start of 2020: Tennessee ($94,371), South Carolina ($96,600) and Arizona ($110,271).

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Ohio

Can you eat Ohio River fish? Just Askin’

Published

11 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

Can you eat Ohio River fish? Just Askin’

Can you eat fish from the Ohio River?

In 1975, future presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, then governor of Massachusetts, bet 20 pounds of New England cod that the Red Sox would defeat the Reds in the World Series. If things went south for Boston, Ohio governor James Rhodes promised to send Dukakis 10 pounds of Lake Erie perch and 10 pounds of Ohio River catfish. The Reds ended up winning and the cod was sent to the Convalescent Home for Children, in Cincinnati.

At the time, people were still eating catfish from the Ohio without too much concern. The fish were also served at several restaurants along the river.

There were warnings in 1977

But two years later, in 1977, The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission released the results of a study of contaminants found in the tissues of Ohio River fish. They warned anglers in cities such as Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Louisville, Wheeling and Gallipolis that man-made chemicals known as PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, had been discovered in the river fish. Later, high concentrations of mercury were discovered in the fish, too.

Thanks to the Clean Water Act of 1972 and the environmental regulations that followed, the river is now cleaner than it was in the seventies. And it’s still teeming with a variety of fish, including catfish, striped bass, drum and black bass, among other species.

But even though PCBs were banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1979, they are still found in fish, since they remain in the sediment in the bottom of the river. “Organisms live in the sediment and fish feed on them,” Rich Cogen, the executive director of the Ohio River Foundation told The Enquirer. Mercury is also a big problem, according to Cogen.

So the question is: Can you eat fish caught in the Ohio River?

The short answer is yes. But it depends on what species you are eating and where along the river you caught it.

There are also very strict limitations on how frequently you should eat them, according to the web site for the Ohio Sport Fish Consumption Advisory, part of the Ohio Department of Health.

In areas of the river between the Belleville Lock, located 204 miles downstream from the river’s origins in Pittsburgh, to the Indiana border, the advisory agency currently recommends consuming Ohio River fish no more than once a month max. That area includes Adams, Brown, Clermont, Gallia, Hamilton, Lawrence, Meigs and Scioto counties.

Here’s where to check

Recommendations change throughout the year, but you can keep up by visiting the Ohio Department of Health’s Sport Fish Consumption Advisory page, which provides updated information on when certain fish, usually bottom feeders such as carp, are deemed too dangerous to eat at all.

Here’s who should take a pass on Ohio River fish

The agency also warns that people who are more likely to have health effects from eating contaminated fish, includingchildren younger than 15 years old, pregnant women and women who are planning to become pregnant to avoid Ohio River fish altogether.

Just because you have to limit the amount of fish you eat, doesn’t mean the river is a bad place for fishing, as long as you limit your intake or do catch-and-release fishing. Just make sure you have a proper fishing license before casting your line.

Have a question for Just Askin’? Email us.

The Just Askin’ series aims to answer the questions that no one seems to have an answer for, except maybe Google.

Do you have a question you want answered? Send it to us at justaskin@enquirer.com, ideally with Just Askin’ in the subject line.

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Ohio

UCLA offensive coordinator visits four-star Ohio State commit

Published

23 hours ago

May 8, 2026

Press Room

UCLA offensive coordinator visits four-star Ohio State commit

It isn’t over until it’s over. That’s the case for both the UCLA Bruins football program recruiting and for quarterback Brady Edmunds. Edmunds is currently committed to head to Ohio State but he took a visit from UCLA offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy earlier this week.

Kennedy met Edmunds on Thursday despite the fact that the quarterback has been committed to the Buckeyes since December of 2024 but could the UCLA Bruins be making a run at flipping the quarterback?

Edmunds has only had an official visit with Ohio State but could UCLA heave a heat check on the 6’5” quarterback? New UCLA head coach Bob Chesney is off to an unbelievable start to his recruiting with the Bruins and flipping a recruit of Edmunds’ caliber would be his most impressive move yet.

247 Sports has Edmunds as the No. 16 quarterback in the class, which would give UCLA a clear predecessor for Nico Iamaleava whenever the Bruins current starting quarterback decides to head to the professional level.

It’d be a full circle moment for the Bruins, as Edmunds was originally recruited to Ohio State by former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, who bailed on UCLA to go run the Buckeyes offense. Ohio State is a great spot for a developing quarterback, as the Buckeyes produce tons of NFL talent, especially at the wide receiver position, which would help Edmunds put up some gaudy numbers in Columbus.

Chesney and the Bruins have geography on their side, Edmunds attends Huntington Beach High School in Southern California, which could potentially become a factor if Edmunds views UCLA as a program on the rise that’d be much closer to his friends and family than out in Ohio.

Time will tell if Kennedy’s visit will make a difference but UCLA’s recruiting has made waves in the first offseason under Chesney and the new regime.

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Ohio

Ohio rural healthcare access — an advanced solution?

Published

1 day ago

May 8, 2026

Press Room

Ohio rural healthcare access — an advanced solution?

A report from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio found that rural residents are 15% more likely to die before the age of 75. Allowing Advanced Practice Registered Nurses to operate more independently could be a solution to allow better access to care.

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